NEW CONCEPT FOR MICROSEQUENCING AT FEMTOMOLE LEVELS

THE DETECTION AND SEQUENCING OF PEPTIDES BELOW THE 1-PICOMOLE LEVEL IS EXPECTED TO ESTABLISH NEW FIELDS OF RESEARCH IN THE BIOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL SCIENCES. RESIFT, INC., PLANS TO HELP OPEN THESE NEW FIELDS OF RESEARCH WITH AN INNOVATIVE INSTRUMENT THAT PROMISES FEMTOMOLE SENSITIVITY. THE INSTRUMENT IS SIMILAR TO A MASS SPECTROMETER BUT INSTRUMENTALLY IS MUCH SIMPLER. THIS RESEARCH WILL UTILIZE KNOWN NEUROPEPTIDES AND SPECIMENSFROM NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL PARAMETERS FOR SAMPLE INTRODUCTION, MOLECULAR ION FORMATION, FRAGMENTATION, AND DETECTOR READOUT TO DETERMINE THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT AND AMINO ACID SEQUENCES OF THE NEUROPEPTIDES. THE STUDIES CONCERN THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE INSTRUMENT'S CAPABILITIES TO DETECT, IDENTIFY, AND SEQUENCE KNOWN PURIFIED PEPTIDES PRESENT IN NEURONAL TISSUE AND RELEASED AFTER ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF RAT SENSORY FIBERS INTO THE PERFUSATE OF RAT SPINAL CORD SLICE PREPARATION.